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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2000

'Tech Town' Offers Interactive Exploration Opportunities

SPRINGFIELD -- Governor George H. Ryan invites fairgoers to tour the interactive environment of a "townscape" model in "Tech Town" at the 2000 Illinois State Fair.

Tech Town will be divided in to four areas focused on on-line customer services and information. Education, business services, public safety and public services will be highlighted, offering a unique approach to the integration of technology in government.

The National Center for Supercomputer Applications at the University of Illinois will showcase the Immersadesk, an interactive environment for computer visualization. Argonne National Laboratory will highlight the latest developments in superconductivity research and the Advanced Photon Resource, the nation's most powerful source of x-rays for research. Students will be able to register on-line for community colleges courses or learn about the role technology plays in our classrooms today.

Chicago's Shedd Aquarium and Brookfield Zoo will be live via direct interactive video link to allow fairgoers to ask questions and interact with divers and zookeepers. Other activities also will be highlighted on the video wall, including interviews with grandstand artists. The schedule for events will be posted daily in "Tech Town."

The "Sights of Illinois" will feature live shots from various locations throughout Illinois as well as around the fairgrounds. Plasma screens, digital cameras, video streaming, satellite imagery and web surfing will all be available inside "Tech Town."

"Tech Town," an air-conditioned pavilion will be open during the State Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. "Tech Town" is conveniently located on Central Avenue between the Coliseum and the Ameritech-sponsored high-dive show. Ameritech is providing the technical infrastructure for "Tech Town." Other major corporate sponsors for "Tech Town" includes: Dell, IBM, General Insurance, Chicago Systems Group, SEA, Enterasys, and CISCO.